Sign In
Not register? Register Now!
Pages:
3 pages/≈825 words
Sources:
No Sources
Style:
APA
Subject:
Literature & Language
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 10.8
Topic:

Language and Taboo. The use or recently-tabooed words

Essay Instructions:

1. In "What the F***?", Steven Pinker writes: "Language has often been called a weapon, and people should be mindful about where to aim it and when to fire. The common denominator of taboo words is the act of forcing a disagreeable thought on someone..." (8). Write about a recently-tabooed word (such as "retard" or "Nazi" or "racist") and the conversations surrounding its continued use that you've observed/encountered.
2. Steven Pinker concludes "What the F***?" with the claim that when used "judiciously, swearing can be hilarious, poignant, and uncannily descriptive. More than any other form of language, it recruits our expressive faculties to the fullest" (10). Write about the effect of a "public moment" of swearing that you've observed/encountered.
3. Compare or contrast Steven Pinker's use of ethos in "What the F***?" to Kurt Andersen's in "The Age of Apoplexy" (or you could do Andersen to Orwell, or Orwell to Pinker, or...): how do the writers "make" their audiences listen to and seriously consider the arguments they present?

Essay Sample Content Preview:

LANGUAGE AND TABOO
Name:Institution:
Date:
Language and Taboo
The use or recently-tabooed words
Tabooed words are meant to provoke a reaction. Recently tabooed words have been connotated to bigotry. The modern zeitgeist is that of progressive humanity who are liberal and open-mindedness. These recently-tabooed words alienate anyone they refer to because they exclude him/her from the modern zeitgeist. It is usually framed to ‘insult’ the intellect of the person it is said to. Each of the words is connotated to ugly historical events, i.e., Nazi-holocaust, racism- African American slavery, etc. Some other words such as retard connotated to autism, Downs syndrome, dyslexia, etc These are mental conditions which are characterized by low intellect and poor mental development. Words that are tabooed referencing low intellect draw their power from our natural inclination to feel smart because our evolutionary process seems to have associated low intelligence with limited chances of survival.
In many places, organization and governments, they have labeled these terms as derogatory. The media has anchored the words in the public and connected them to despicable issues such as terrorism, ethnic cleansing, etc. Now, as the media increasingly use these words and connecting them to horrific events, the public connotates the words with such events. Whenever the words are mentioned, people subconsciously relate them to violence, bigotry, terrorism, etc. Politicians have also fanned the increased use of these terms and have heightened their influence on the user and the victim they are meant for. The motivation of the user is to provoke anger because the public has already diminished the words because of media coverage. The synonyms of these words do not provoke the same reactions because their connotations and denotations provoke a different response.
A public moment
Sarah Knight TED talk ‘The life-changing magic of not giving a fuck.’ They have used the word to communicate a compelling message hilariously. She talks about how anyone can change his/her life around by exercising conscious control of time, money and energy on the things that matter to him/her. In the case of Knight, she narrates how her life was hard and devoid of any pleasure. She did not see herself ever happy when she was working as an editor with a publishing firm because when often was aligning her life with people’s expectations rather than living her own life. When she came to a life-changing moment, she decided to quit and start blogging while touring all the best beaches in the world. She describes the woes of giving a ‘fu...
Updated on
Get the Whole Paper!
Not exactly what you need?
Do you need a custom essay? Order right now:

You Might Also Like Other Topics Related to holocaust:

HIRE A WRITER FROM $11.95 / PAGE
ORDER WITH 15% DISCOUNT!